Public Record
by GarnetAles
Summary: Aria's senior year is coming to a close, and she can't wait for it to end. And while her relationship with her English teacher is still on the down low, that could change because, well, you can't change public record.
1. Chapter 1

**Some things you should know about this story:**

**Mona was 'A', end of story.**

**Ezra and Aria never told her parents about them.**

**Ezra still works at the high school, and is still all of the girls' teacher.**

**Aria's parents are divorced.**

* * *

I smiled as Ezra walked into class on Monday. His eyes immediately came to rest on me, a smirk playing slightly on his lips.

"I had a very nice weekend, how about all of you?" Ezra asked the class as he turned to put his bag on his desk. His voice was full of chipper. He was met by an unenthusiastic round of 'okays' and 'fines'. I winked at him as he turned back around, and his grin grew ever so slightly.

"Pass up your homework. Today will be an in class work day." Groans filled the room. "Look everyone, I know that it's less than a month until graduation, and believe me, I remember that countdown going on in your head right now. But you are so close to being done, that you should give your all in the last few moments. So, I want everyone to write three haikus. You have fifteen minutes. And we will be sharing, go."

My smile dropped a little as I started to think, but I didn't stop smiling completely. I hadn't since Friday.

_I laughed as he held me on the big marble steps, whispering things, seductive things, into my ear. A shadow crossed my face as I leaned back against Ezra's chest. I opened my eyes and looked up at a girl, maybe 25, with gorgeous red hair and laughing green eyes. She stared at me for a moment, and then smiled. _

_After a few seconds of somewhat awkward silence, she stated, "I just wanted to tell you that you two make the most adorable couple in the world. Without a doubt." _

_I smiled back up at her, and she turned to walk away when Ezra called, "wait!" She turned back to us with a questioning look on her face. _

"_Yes?" She asked, as I said, "What is it, Ezra?"_

_He looked between us and whispered to me, "we still need two witnesses." He raised his eyebrows at me and I nodded my permission._

"_We were wondering if you're free for the next half hour or so." _

I had ten minutes left to write two haiku, having already come up with this:

Courthouse, peaceful judge,

Red, green puppy. Black, brown mouse.

Stairs of you and me.

He called the two minute warning as I finished up. I was proud of the final products. They were understandable to me and Ezra, but cryptic enough that nobody else would get it.

Silver Toyota.

Black and white. Classic clothing.

Gold. Setting sunlight.

And…

The lights, turn them off,

The darkness welcomes us in,

Bright light, stupid glass.

After five or so people Ezra turned to me, "Aria, you may read yours now."

I stood up and recited the first two. Ezra liked the first one, his smile returning after having to reprimand the person before me, Noel Kahn, for writing two ridiculous poems that made no sense. He had not even tried to complete a third.

As I read my last haiku though, Ezra blushed red across his cheekbones and his smile turned sheepish when I read the last line.

_"I love you," he whispered against my neck, while we waited for the elevator._

"_I would hope so," I responded. He laughed then moved his fiery assault to my collarbone. When the doors opened, I shoved Ezra lightly. _

_There was an older couple, maybe late forties, inside waiting for the elevator to go up. We entered and the door closed behind us with a bing. _

_I reached over to push the 8__th__ floor button, but saw it was already lit. Ezra blew on the back of my neck, which was unusually ticklish. I was trying not to laugh, but a giggle burst through. The woman looked over at us, startled, then did a once over._

_Ezra's chest was pressed against my back and our hands were a mess of skin, making it hard to tell where I ended and he began. The woman nudged her husband and he discreetly glanced our way. He and his wife shared a reminiscent look and the woman reached over and pushed the 5__th__ floor button, the next stop. The doors dinged open a few seconds later. As she was leaving, the woman gave me a 'you're welcome' smile. I mouthed 'thank you' in response._

* * *

"So what happened to Mr. Fitz in class today?" Hanna asked me during lunch.

"Yeah, he was as red as a tomato," Emily added.

"And he sounded unusually cheerful." Hanna finished.

"I thought it was obvious." Spencer said as she took a bite of her salad. We all looked at her. She finished chewing and said, "then again I do have more clues than you two, because of-"

"Spence spit it out!" Hanna cut her off.

"Well, Aria was supposed to spend the night at my house on Friday, but she took off like twenty minutes after she got there. That and how both she and Fitz can't seem to be able to stop smiling, I'd say they had very _productive _weekend."

I stared at my sandwich trying not to look too embarrassed.

"Were Aria and Fitzy getting it on this weekend?" Emily teased.

"Guys, I just turned eighteen. We were kind of celebrating that." I defended myself.

"Didn't you two 'celebrate' that Tuesday?" Emily asked. "You know the day after you birthday when you ditched our sleepover to spend time with him."

"He wanted to take me to Philadelphia for the weekend. We got a hotel for Friday and Saturday night and did some touristy things Sunday." I didn't want to lie to them completely, but Ezra and I agreed that telling my friends probably wouldn't end well.

"What did you do Saturday?" Hanna started the inquisition

"We kind of holed up in our hotel room for the day." I tried to fight the blush, but it blossomed across my cheeks anyway.

"So Aria and Fitzy really were getting it on this weekend," Emily joked.

"Can we please stop talking about this?" I begged.

Spencer started to say, "well, as long as you were safe-" but Hanna cut her off agian.

"No way! This is juicy stuff, even if I can't share it with anyone." She wasn't done but the bell rang, cutting her off. "Do not think for a second that I will forget about this."

"I know you won't Hanna, I know you won't." I said.

* * *

I walked into Ezra's classroom after the last bell rang under the pretense of a missing assignment. He had just finished packing his bag when I entered.

"You ready to go?" He asked.

"Of course," I smiled as he leaned down to kiss my lips quickly.

We walked out of school together and Ezra, after glancing around, pecked my lips goodbye. With the promise of a 'see you later,' I left the parking lot. If I couldn't get away from my dad, I would sneak out with the help of Mike.

At home, things were still tense. The divorce was finalized a few months ago, and since then Dad had starting seeing Meredith again. My whole junior year had been spent trying to figure out if Mom and Dad were getting back together or not.

I pulled into my driveway and sighed. Mom was here.

I sighed again as I walked into the door. Even divorced they still fought like cats and dogs. I tippy-toed upstairs as quietly as I could, trying not to disturb them.

After dropping off the school books I wouldn't need in my room, I peeked into Mike's room to see if he was there, which he wasn't. Smart boy.

I slipped quietly downstairs, wanting to get away before they noticed. I walked to the front door without having to worry because they had moved their fight from the living room to the kitchen.

"Spending the night at Spencer's, bye," I yelled in their general direction, before hightailing it to my car; I couldn't deal with scrutiny at the moment.

* * *

**This is my first story uploaded any where. I usually stick to writing original stuff. I would love an honest review from anyone. Let me know what you think. And hopefully the chapters will get longer.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! Special thanks to Steph for being my first reviewer. I know this sounds clique, but it's actually true, getting reviews makes you write faster. I have never written this much. It took me a week and a half to write the first chapter. So if you keep reviewing, I'll keep writing.**

* * *

I texted an apology to Ezra when I pulled into the Hastings' driveway stating that 'I had to actually stay at Spencer's for a sleepover because I had skipped out on the last two get-togethers to be with you,' to which he totally understood and said he would talk to me later.

I grabbed my backpack and the overnight bag that I kept in the trunk of my car for emergencies, which usually involved a certain boyfriend, and headed to the barn.

When Melissa moved to Philadelphia full time, Spencer finally got the loft in the barn that she had always wanted. I didn't bother knocking on the door, instead opting to barge in unannounced. I regretted it almost immediately.

Toby Cavanaugh, Spencer's longtime boyfriend was lying on her bed at the far side of the room, Spencer herself on top of him. He was shirtless, and she was halfway there. Neither of them had noticed my entry.

"Nice abs, Toby," I remarked with a chuckle. Spencer quickly spun around to face me, pulling her shirt down as she turned.

"Oh, hi Aria," she looked flushed and confused, her voice breathier than normal. Little pink circle had formed on her cheeks, "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to spend the night," I said, raising my bag half-heartedly.

"I think that's my queue to leave," Toby said as he gently pushed Spencer onto the bed next to him. I picked his shirt up off the ground and tossed it to him. He shot me a smile then pulled it over his head. "Bye, Spence," he pecked her on the check, nodded a goodbye to me, then walked out of the barn. The door closed quietly behind him.

"Sorry I interrupted," I said. "I didn't see Toby's truck in the driveway; if I had I most definitely would have knocked."

"Yeah, he was helping the Andrews, the family that bought the DiLaurentis house," a few weeks after Mona was caught and exposed as A, Jason DiLaurentis put his house on the market and disappeared. He hadn't told anyone he was leaving. The family that bought the house had a son named Jacob, who was now a junior. I think he played lacrosse with Mike. "I think they're finally putting up that fence." Spencer finished. "I'm pretty sure they have a dog. Toby parked his truck in their driveway."

Changing focus, Spencer started rambling about all the studying she still had to do. I listened with one ear as I starting pulling books out of my bag, resigned to a long night with Spencer, the studying pit bull.

* * *

"What did you think of the reading today?" Spencer startled me out of my reverie of the weekend.

"What?"

She sighed loudly, obviously annoyed, "go call Mr. Fitz so I can finally get some work done." Her voice had a bite to it you rarely ever heard.

"What? I wasn't saying anything," I was kind of offended.

"You were doing this contented sighing thing like every ten seconds. It was extremely distracting. So go call him and get it out of your system before I start reviewing for my AP Bio final."

"Alright, calm down," I knew from experience not to take it personally. When finals rolled around all bets where off with Spencer. I picked up my phone and turned to leave, asking Spencer if she wanted any food while I was up. She gave a one-shouldered shrug, not even looking up from her textbook. Coffee it is.

_"Love makes you crazy." Jen stated. "I mean you guys have experienced that first hand."_

_ I shot her a wicked smile, "you just wish you knew what it felt like."_

_ She laughed and answered, "I can't deny that."_

_ We were currently sitting in a casual restaurant, enjoying each other's company. We had insisted on taking Jen, the redhead who had approached us on the steps and her older sister, Sara to dinner. _

_ "So are you from around here?" Ezra asked as he took a sip of his drink._

_ "Not at all, we are actually visiting relatives and they urged us to go to Philadelphia and explore. You made our day a lot more interesting. I live near Columbus, Ohio and mousy here lives in Annapolis, Maryland." Jen nudged her sister in the ribs, "but enough about us. Tell us about you. How did you meet?" she demanded._

_ I squeezed Ezra's hand under the table and said, "he's my English teacher." _

_ It was one the times that, if your life was a movie, would have had an epic spit-out-mouthful-of-whatever-character-had-been-drinking moment. As it was, Jen started choking on her gum. _

_ Ezra tightened his grip on my hand, ever so slightly and after a moment of silence Sara spoke. "A part of me wants to be disgusted," I was already grabbing my coat. "But," she continues, "I've seen the way you act around each other, and there is no way you aren't in love. And it is a little too late to make much of a difference."_

_ Jen laughed, having cleared her throat, "That is the understatement of the century."_

Ezra picked up on the second ring, "Hey."

I smiled widely and started routing through the Hastings' refrigerator, "Hey yourself."

"What are you up too?" he asked.

"Just going through Spencer's fridge to try to find something to eat, you?"

"Grading the essay portion of the finals test; I just finished with Spencer's actually."

"Oh, how'd she do?" I asked.

"Passed with flying colors, of course, she is a Hastings after all and their reputation definitely precedes them." The statement was so true, I had to laugh.

As I closed the door to the fridge I was startled to find Mrs. Hastings standing behind it pouring herself a cup of coffee, and I was suddenly grateful I hadn't put Ezra on speaker. "Hi Mrs. Hastings," I said awkwardly.

"Hello Aria. Are you and Spencer hard at work?" She was staring at me. It was kind of freaking me out.

"Yeah, just taking a break to grab some food and coffee, then its right back to studying," I grabbed a bag of pretzels from a cabinet and started edging towards the door.

She turned to place her coffee in the microwave and asked, "Who were you just talking too?"

Nosy much, I thought. "Umm, just Hanna- I should really be getting back to Spencer." The microwave beeped then and I made my escape while her back was turned.

Once I was outside I put the phone back up to my ear, "Hey, you still there?"

"Of course," he responded. I could hear the scratching of pen on paper in the background. "What did Mrs. Hastings want?"

"She was just being nosy, trying to figure out who I was on the phone with. Though I can't imagine why that would interest her. Oh well, whatever," I was standing by the door to the barn waiting to finish our conversation before going back inside. No need to tick off Spencer if you can avoid it. A question occurred to me, but just as I was going to ask, Spencer came and opened the door.

"Tell Mr. Fitz goodbye. I need you to help me with flashcards." She grabbed me by the elbow and dragged me inside.

"Bye Ezra. I love you," I sighed into the phone.

"Goodbye my fair, beautiful, beloved-," but he was cut off by Spencer grabbing my phone and hanging up on him.

"You can finish that gag worth conversation later. Preferable when I'm not I'm not around." She shot me a smirk though, and I knew she was apologizing for snapping at me earlier.

I smiled back, and she sat down on her bed and opened the bag of pretzels I forgot I had grabbed. She put a couple in her mouth then glanced back at me, confused. "Where's my coffee?"

* * *

**I am hoping to get an update out every 4-5 days. I don't outline anything I write though so the times will probably vary depending on how I feel at that moment. But I will say this, reviews make me write faster. They make me want to write. So I am going to say this again in fear that it will sound like begging, please review. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about the wait. I use my dad's work laptop because mine is to slow to do anything on, and this is the one week a year he has to take it to work with him.**

* * *

"Aria, if you don't leave right now, you aren't going to have time to change," Spencer said on her way out the door.

"I know that," I muttered under my breath. Spencer had assumed I set the alarm on my phone, when in reality, I had completely forgotten. Spencer had come back from taking a shower to find me still asleep in her bed. I was rushing around the barn, throwing my books into my bag, because I now had ten minutes to run home, change, and then drive to school.

I closed my bag and ran out to my car, still in my pajamas, and drove to my house, praying my dad would either still be asleep or gone for the day by the time I got home. Of course, I wasn't that lucky.

My dad was coming down the stairs just as I came in the door. As soon as he saw me he said, "Aria, I need to talk to you."

"Dad, I am already really late for school. Can't this-" he cut me off by putting up his hand.

"Look, I just wanted to say that I am so sorry about the fight you walked in on yesterday. I'm not blaming anyone, but your mother blew the whole thing out of proportion." He tugged on my elbow gently and led me to the couch.

"That's funny because it sounds like you're blaming Mom. You realize that's why you got divorced in the first place, right? Because you couldn't own up to the things you did." I got angry easily when he tried to pin the blame on other people.

"It was not my fault she walked in when she did. I have every right to do whatever I want, with whomever I want, where ever I want. If she didn't want to see that, she should stop using her key and start knocking. It's not like she lives here anymore." The way he was talking made me think it was reflex and that he had forgotten who he was revealing these things too. But he had given me enough clues for me to know what had happened.

I leapt to my feet and away from the couch, "you were having sex on the couch, with Meredith! Dad, that is disgusting. You should have at least warned me before you sat me down on that."

He looked shocked, "that is not… we weren't…" the sentence trailed off. He was cornered and he knew it.

"What happened exactly? Tell me," I demanded.

"Your mom walked in on me and Meredith and blew up about how it could have been you or Mike who walked in, instead of her. Then Meredith left and Ella started going into the 'it's your fault for sleeping with her in the first place' argument, and I felt obligated to defend myself. I don't even know how long we spent just standing there, screaming at each other. Somehow we ended up in the kitchen and then we heard you say you were going to Spencer's, and it was like someone had thrown cold water on us. We stood there for a few minutes before Ella apologized for yelling and left. I am sorry you walked in on us like that, but I called her last night, and we came to the agreement that the fights had to stop, so we called a truce." Dad seemed relieved to have gotten everything off his chest and he opened his mouth to say more, but I glanced at the clock and had to cut him off.

"Dad, I really have to go. School is starting right now, and I'm not even dressed."

He glanced over his shoulder, at the clock on the wall behind him, and quickly waved me upstairs. "Go get dressed and I'll call the school to let them know they should expect you a little late."

I smiled at him and then was up the stairs in a flash. I ran into my room, threw on a purple camisole and the first pair of pants I could find. I grabbed a brown jacket, my two favorite rings, and my most comfortable pair of boots. I appraised myself in the mirror quickly, and shrugged to myself; it was pretty good for only two minutes of prep time. I ran to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and hair, then I was back down the stairs in record time.

"That was fast." Dad remarked. "You have shoes?"

I raised the hand that held my boots slightly and then left with a hurriedly yelled goodbye.

Only once I was in my car and driving did I realize that the brown jacket I had grabbed was not, in fact a jacket, but a terribly ugly scarf my great-aunt had gotten me for my birthday. A piece of fabric sticking out of the balled up scarf caught my attention, and I sighed. It was cold for May this year and you had to do what you had to do. I couldn't go to school in just a cami, I would freeze. I sighed again, then started going over ideas in my head about how I could make this work.

* * *

"Is that what I think it is?" Hanna asked as soon as first period let out.

"If you are referring to my homework than yes, I got a C," I stated.

"You know that's not what I'm talking about, so stop avoiding the subject. Are you or are you not wearing one of Mr. Fitz' shirts?" Hanna obviously wasn't in the mood to play games today.

"It's his," Spencer said. "Who else would it belong too? You got a C?" Spencer was so…well, Spencer.

"Well, it's a really cute outfit, Aria," Hanna complimented. "You should wear his shirts more often." I had ended up tying Ezra's shirt up around the bottom of my rib cage in an imitation of the 'farmer's daughter' look with my purple cami underneath. It had ended up pretty cute.

We walked into the hallway and were joined by Emily on our way to English. "If my parents catch on that I have a boyfriend, I'm screwed. That one time I accidently texted my mom instead of Ezra, she hounded me for weeks about who I was dating. I don't want to deal with that right now, or ever, if I'm being honest."

"Right, so why are you wearing one of his shirts now?" Emily questioned.

"I stayed over at Spencer's last night and over slept, as clichéd as that sounds. And when I ran home to get changed, my dad stopped me and we talked, and he made me late. I grabbed this by accident." I was nervous about Ezra's reaction to seeing me in his shirt.

_I blinked my eyes slowly. The bright light in the room hurt my eyes. Wait, after the first round we had turned the lights off…No!_

_ "Ezra, you dimwit!" I hissed in his ear, the realization making my eyes jump open._

_ His eyes flickered slightly and he sleepily muttered, "what I do?"_

_ "You forgot to shut the blinds!" I got off the bed quickly to close the curtains, taking the sheet with me._

_ "Hey!" The cold air hitting his naked body woke him with a start. "Wait, I forgot to…they were open last night?" _

_ "Yeah."_

_ "That's kind of embarrassing," Ezra grumbled apologetically. "I should have noticed an open curtain. I'm sorry."_

_ I walked over to the other side of the room and picked his white button-down shirt up off the ground. It was long enough on me to be a dress. I slipped it on and fastened a couple of the buttons; just enough to keep it on my shoulders. "Doesn't really matter, makes it all the more memorable. And think of it this way: we're never going to meet those people and they're never going to see us again, so nothing to worry about." I was a little miffed, but this was a time in my life too important to ruin with things that can't be changed. I picked up a room service menu, feeling a little hungry, and walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth. _

_ Ezra followed me a few moments later, and I watched him in the mirror as he walked up and hugged me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder. When I bent over to spit into the sink he inhaled slightly, and when I straightened out, he leaned forward again to whisper in my ear, "you are the most beautiful woman in the world and I love you, but nothing has ever turned me on more than seeing you in my shirt." _

_I could feel him against me, and he watched my reflection smirk, "well, what are you going to do about it, Mr. Fitz?"_

_ "I think, Mr-," but I cut him off with my lips, having turned sharply in his embrace. With a hop, I wrapped my legs around his waist, and his hands traveled to my thighs to help hold me up. _

_ "Bed?" he whispered breathlessly against my mouth._

_ "Bed," I agreed._

I walked through backdoor of Ezra's classroom and my eyes immediately focused on him. He was leaning against his desk, chatting with a student, wearing the tie I had given him. I smiled and he glanced my way as I grinned at him. He smiled back knowing what had made me happy, and then he noticed my shirt.

The shirt I was wearing was the only one I had taken the risk of keeping in my room, because it was the shirt that Ezra had been wearing the first night we slept together; blue and white with a small plaid print. It was a memento of a time in our relationship when we thought we had been discovered, as well as our first time. Luckily, well, thanks to Mona really, we had manage to stay hidden but it had been a close call.

Now Ezra was staring at me in a way that made my stomach flutter. He visibly swallowed, than turned away from me to start the class.

I took my seat as he told the class to start working on their year-end projects and began to hand back the paper we had written before finals started. When he passed me mine, he tried hard not to stare at me, and failed. I kicked him in the shin slightly and he started moving again, handing out more papers.

I glanced down at mine and smiled, but then I frowned in confusion. I had gotten an A, but there was a note taped to the front of it. I looked up at Ezra curiously. Usually he wasn't this risky in public. He had sat back down behind his desk and was waiting for me to catch his eye.

'Open it,' he mouthed at me.

I did and it read, _Pretend you need something from your locker._ I looked back at him, still confused. 'What?' I said silently.

'Just do it,' he mouthed back at me.

I sighed, then raised my hand.

"Yes, Aria?" Ezra acted surprised.

"I forgot something in my locker, can I go get it?" I asked.

"Of course, but be quick," he responded. There was a twinkle in his eye that was making me kind of nervous.

I grabbed the hall pass on my way out the door then walked to my locker in silence. Why would Ezra want me to go to my locker?

I put in the combination for my lock and when I pulled the door open a small yellow envelope almost fell out. I snatched it out of the air, then opened it. Two small objects and a piece of paper slid smoothly out onto my palm. I quickly stuffed the items into my pocket, glancing around to make sure no one had seen them. Of course, everyone was in class, so I was safe. I then looked at the note.

It read, in Ezra's handwriting, _I just thought you should have these. I didn't feel right just leaving them in my apartment. They should at least be at your house. I wish you could wear them all the time._

I grinned; he was too sweet for his own good. I wished with all my heart that I wouldn't have to pretend to not be in love with him someday. And those two little items were the beginning of the tidal wave.

* * *

**This chapter is over 2,000 words, if anyone was wondering. And on a side note; if you ever notice any grammatical errors feel free to point them out, and I will go and change them. I don't have this beta'd, so I know there are at least some.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry about the wait. My excuses are just that, excuses, so I won't bother presenting them, but I **_**am **_**really sorry it is so late.**

* * *

I drove to Ezra's apartment after school in silence. My mind was having an internal battle over being angry with Ezra because he gave me something so incriminating at school, and just wanting to curl up with him on his couch and pretend that we would be accepted by the world. I mean, technically, we could leave. Just pack up and move on to somewhere bigger and better than Rosewood, but I don't think I could ditch my family, and especially not my friends, like that. Because the main problem with that plan is if I don't go to them, people will come to me and for my family to visit, they would need to know, and to tell them, well, I think that would be one of the most uncomfortable situations anyone, anywhere has ever been in.

Really, how does someone go to their parents and say, 'so, I'm off to college, and yeah, my English teacher is going with me, because we've been in a steady relationship for two years. Sorry, forgot to mention that,' because they're heads would totally not explode. Note the sarcasm.

I pulled into the parking lot of Ezra's apartment building just as I received a text from him saying that Mrs. Welch had somehow tricked him into helping her grade papers and he would be tied up for at least a half an hour. I frowned when I read it; I really needed my Ezra fix. Oh well, I guess the scent of him on his pillow would have to suffice.

That was how Ezra found me, curled up in his sheets, my head tucked into my pillow, and his balled up against my chest. I was awake, in that state of semi-awareness, when he walked through the door. But he didn't realize that and when he saw me, he closed the door softly and padded over to the bed. I could hear him hanging up pieces of his suit as he took them off, and I waited impatiently for him to come join me. I felt the bed dip, and then Ezra's fingers were gently tugging away his pillow from my grasp and pulling me close, cradling me into his chest. I snuggled closer and then let go of consciousness.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, the first thing that registered was that I was hungry. Like starving. When I peered over Ezra's shoulder to look at his alarm clock, it read 9:00pm. We had slept for five or so hours, and more importantly, we had skipped dinner. I reached my hand up slowly, sliding it along his chest, then caressed his cheek before giving it a tap and whispering, "Ezra, wake up." His fingers went to his face, trying to rid himself of the nuisance that was my hand. I laughed at his feeble attempt, and then he suddenly rolled us over so that he was lying on top of me. His eyes opened and I gave him an annoyed look. He smirked down at me, leaning in to kiss the tip of my nose.

Then he glanced over at the clock and sighed, "You'll need to get home soon."

"I'm not going back to my parent's house tonight. And for the record, I am home." He smiled at me again. "I want to go back to sleep, but I really need food," my stomach growled quite loudly, as if to emphasize my statement.

Ezra laughed quietly, though probably more so because he was pressing down on my body and my stomach growling against his had most likely tickled. "Hey, don't make fun of me, make me some food." I said, rolling us over.

When his chuckles subsided, he responded, "Okay, Love, what do you want to eat, ramen noodles or mac n' cheese?"

"If those are my only option, I'm going to have to get up and make something myself," I groaned, shifting slightly so that my head was resting on his chest. "What other stuff do you have right now?"

"Ingredients wise?" When I nodded, he continued. "I think I have a block of cheese, a couple of eggs, and some butter in the fridge, and a half loaf of bread somewhere-" he paused for a second, then corrected himself, "I take that back, I don't have any eggs. I scrambled them for breakfast this morning."

I sighed, resigned, "Grilled cheese it is then."

* * *

"This is amazing," Ezra moaned through the last bite of his grilled cheese sandwich. "So much better than what my mother used to make."

I laughed at him, "the trick is to be patient and let the cheese melt on a low temperature. Can you remind me to go grocery shopping tomorrow after school?"

"You really don't need to go shopping for me." He stated as he placed his plate on the bed beside him.

We were currently sitting against the brick wall behind his bed, an old movie playing in the background, quite frankly forgotten. I was quick to correct him, "in an ideal situation, I would go shopping, for us. Just let me do it." Ezra nodded begrudgingly, but he hated grocery shopping, and he knew that I was aware of that. He also knew that I would go with or without his consent. "Anything specific you want?" I asked.

He shot me a look, "what I want can't be bought."

"You already have me, Hon," I smiled at his cute, but very cheesy, comment.

"Is it wrong that I relish in the fact that you are legally tied to me?" He said it jokingly, but I could hear the undercurrent of seriousness.

I leaned forward to grad his plate as I replied, "there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If I am being honest, I love it too." I turned to face him again and caught him staring at me. I leaned forward and pecked his lips quickly before climbing off the bed to wash our dishes.

"Are you full?" I asked as I turned on the faucet.

"Yes, it was very good." I heard the bed squeak slightly, signaling Ezra's rising. Moments later, his arms wrapped around my waist and his chin rested on my shoulder. He hummed a familiar tune in my ear, slowly rocking our bodies back and forth to the song. As I finished washing the plates and the pan I had used to make the grilled cheese, I could feel his position changing from leaning on my body, to using it as a support for his own. And here I thought I was the tired one.

I dried the dishes off with a towel and put them on the counter top, before turning in Ezra's embrace. My movements caused his arms to tighten and I wrapped my arms around his neck, burrowing my face into his chest. "Forever," I whispered into his cotton undershirt.

"Forever," he agreed.

* * *

**I found one of the most adorably hilarious Ezria scenes I have ever watched. If you are interested just type in( watch?v=iGFEd03akb8 )into your search engine and it should come up as the first option. It's a deleted scene from 1x3. I had huge writer's block with this chapter, so I really hope it's up to par with the other chapters. I can't decide if I like it or not...  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**I hope everyone enjoys this. I had major writers block and the only reason this chapter is even finished is because of TheCelticOne. She (I am assuming you are a girl, if you aren't take no offense, just let me know and I'll change this :) was extremely helpful and is entirely to thank for this chapter. Go give her some love people. Enjoy.**

* * *

"What is that insistent buzzing noise?" Ezra's voice was the first thing I heard the next morning.

"What do you-," I opened my eyes slowly and started to respond groggily, but my phone vibrated again. "It's my phone," I told him.

"Can you just shut it off?" he asked from behind his pillow, which his head was currently buried under. I quickly reached over him and grabbed the device from the nightstand.

Sliding my thumb over the screen to unlock it, the missed calls page came up immediately. The recording I had received was from Hanna, and I could feel my face pale as I listened to it.

"Ezra, get up. We have a problem." My tone made him uncover his head and as soon as he caught my expression he grasped how serious I was being.

"What is it?" he questioned, fully awake now and pushing himself into a sitting position with concern printed across his features.

I pushed the replay option when it was offered and put my phone on speaker.

Hanna's voice came through loud and clear, "Hey it's me, I have something to tell you, and I wanted to meet up in person, but you won't answer any of my phone calls and you need to hear this, like, right now. I overheard my mom talking on the phone to someone about you. She was saying that she had passed you on the highway on her way to Philly last weekend. She said that Mr. Fitz was driving and you were sitting next to him, laughing. She would have waved , but she couldn't catch your attention. You need to be more careful Aria. Do you know how badly this would have turned out if you had, say, kissed him, while my mom was watching! Like I said, Mom was on the phone but she turned around and saw me before I could figure out who was on the other line. Please get back to-," then my phone had cut her off mid-sentence.

Ezra's eyes had never left the phone throughout the entire message but when the beep sounded, signifying the end, his face instantly turned stare at me. When he did, he caught his first look at my face. I wasn't holding back tears exactly, but they were there, just a burning sensation in my eyes. I wiped my eyes angrily, stupid betraying tears. The truth was that I was afraid. I climbed over Ezra and off the bed; I needed to pace.

"It didn't sound like Mrs. Marin suspected anything, but what if…," my voice trailed off, the strange way Mrs. Hastings had behaved around me coming to mind. "What if Ashley wasn't the only one who saw us last weekend? It would totally explain why Mrs. Hastings was acting so weird on Monday night."

"Hey, hey, Aria, it's going to be fine. Let's not jump to conclusions, okay? The chances that Mrs. Hastings saw us are extremely thin, and we don't even know if Hanna's mom suspects anything." Ezra had stood up and hugged me, forcing me to stand still, to calm down. "I wouldn't let anyone hurt you, I promise."

I sighed as I looked up at him, blinking back tears again "but what about you? Anyone of them could ruin your reputation," Ezra just smiled down at me endearingly.

"If something were to happen and we were discovered and ridiculed, I would _want_ the blame to fall on my shoulders." He sat me back onto the bed before kneeling in front of me. "I vowed to you that I would never let anyone, including myself, hurt you, and I will keep that promise until I die," he said. Afterwards he joined me on the bed and wrapped me up in his arms again.

A comforting silence settled over us then and seemed to stretch endlessly. But, of course, when Ezra's alarm clocked starting blaring, the magic was broken. His arms constricted tightly around my body one last time before, still holding me, he swung off the bed, set me on my feet, then promptly leading me into the bathroom with him, saying, "I think we still have time for a much needed shower before school," with a wink, as we went.

* * *

I pulled into the school parking lot just before Ezra, which wouldn't mean anything to anyone. Of course, they didn't know I had just spent the night in his apartment. After circling for a few minutes trying to find a parking spot in the student lot and seriously considering breaking the rules and parking in the teacher lot, I spotted an empty space next to Hanna's red Toyota Camry and realized the girls were standing there, holding it for me.

As I pulled into the space, Hanna immediately ran up to my still closed door, asking through the window, "did you get my message? Please say you did?"

I reached behind me to grab my bag, and Hanna impatiently as ever, ripped my door open and said, directly into my ear, "answer me, woman!"

"Yes, I got your message and while I overreacted at first, Ezra talked some sense into me eventually. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," I reassured her. Hanna was about to reply but the warning bell rang, cutting her off.

"A dozen eggs or half a dozen?" I asked myself while standing in the diary aisle at the grocery story. I was currently in the process of completing the promise I made Ezra about buying him food. After another moments thought I placed the carton of a dozen eggs in the cart and pushed it to my next stop.

It was in the bread aisle that I overheard two women, moms most likely, discussing their summer plans.

_My mind drifted as the afternoon sun shone through the blinds, creating slates on my bare skin. Ezra's fingertips traced nameless patterns across my exposed stomach and thighs. The warmth of the sun made my body feel groggy, but just as I was drifting off Ezra's voice reached my ears._

_"What are your plans for the summer," he asked, the question catching me off guard. _

_"I don't know. Do you have any ideas?" was my grumbled response. The hand on my thigh stopped moving as he considered how to answer._

_"I was thinking that we could maybe go and see my family?" It came out of his mouth like a question and I could feel the nervous tension radiating off his body. Did he honestly think I didn't want to meet his family? Not that I wasn't terrified by the idea..._

_"I think that is a great idea." _

_"Really?" his shocked tone almost hurt, but the boyish excitement that leaked into his voice smoothed my feelings over. "I can't wait for you to meet them. They'll love you." I had my doubts about that last statement, but I didn't want to ruin the moment by expressing my concerns._

* * *

I grabbed a loaf of bread off the shelf and started walking towards the register. Ezra and I had decided to go and visit with his family two weeks after my graduation on June 9th. By that time I need to have either told my parents the truth or come up with one huge lie to explain away my absence. Both options looked grim.

"Aria? What are you doing here?"

"Shit," I muttered under my breath. Speaking of parents, I turned to face my mother. "Hey Mom."

"Hello Honey." Mom glanced down at my full cart, "Did Mike eat you out of the house again? I swear, I don't know where he puts it."

"Uh, yeah, something like that." I smiled awkwardly at my mom waiting for her to leave.

The silence expanded until it was almost unbearably. Finally, I cleared my throat and stated, "well, I have to get going. I'll see you later, Mom. Love you," before walking away.

I turned into an open register, but just before I disappeared behind the rack, I glanced back to look at my mom. She was standing there, just standing there, in the middle of the main aisle. People pushed around her, but her gaze remained fixed on me. I shot her a look, but she continued to stare at me. At last, the employee manning the register caught my attention and impatiently waved me forward. I looked back just in time to see my mother's shoes vanish behind a tortilla chips display. A sick feeling slithered its way into my stomach, making me wish that I had never turned back to look at Ella. The expression on her face was one of curiosity and frustration, but most importantly, it was filled with suspicion.

My mom suspected something was up with me, and knowing her, she would try and investigate. Probably involve Dad, which was the last thing I needed. I could already feel the onslaught of a migraine building in my head, so I quickly paid for the groceries and headed to my car.

Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I knew that going to Ezra's apartment was risky for more than a few reasons, one being that I had just spent the night there and I needed to go home so as to not raise anyone suspicions, or at least not raise them anymore than they already were. But a larger part of me was screaming, painfully loud, to screw it. So I did.


End file.
